Brad Meltzer claims comics "shaped his childhood"

Pen America did a fluff-coated interview with the overrated novelist Meltzer, who says just about what one could expect of such a pretentious author:

Mary Higgins Clark once said that writing four-minute radio scripts taught her to write cleanly and succinctly, because every chapter in a suspense novel had to advance the story. Your novels move with a similar sense of economy while still leaving room for rich character detail. How do you balance forward momentum with character development, and is that something you learned over time or something that came instinctively?

I honestly think it came from reading comic books growing up. Every comic is a short chapter and ends on a cliffhanger. That trained me to see a novel the same way: short chapter and cliffhanger, short chapter and cliffhanger. It’s what I prefer as a reader and a writer.

You grew up reading comics and later went on to write them. What did reading and writing comics teach you about shaping a narrative?

See above. It was my Mr. Miyagi. It had me sanding the floor and painting the fence, training me in ways I never understood until it was time to fight Johnny.

Gee, that's awfully easy, to say nothing of corny, stuff he's claiming it helped him shape. Whether he grew up reading comics, he didn't learn any moral lessons from them, as his penning Identity Crisis makes clear, and even his Justice League story from 1996 isn't much better. He certainly didn't understand nothing in terms of morality. So of course, we can't expect him to be much different with his upcoming work for Marvel, especially at this dismal point in history. Besides, look what kind of stories did shape his idea of what and how to write, along with an allusion to politics made here:

Were there any specific comic books or books in general that helped shape the kinds of stories you wanted to tell?

Watchmen by Alan Moore is still my favorite book of all time. Batman: Year One. There were so many. They were all part of what I still love today: you need to have adventure, but, at its core, it needs to add something to the character and say something about our time on this planet. [...]

Much of your work draws on history. How do you think about free expression at a time when access to history itself is increasingly debated or restricted?

Clearly, free expression is as vital as ever. But in my mind, history is like your old, wise grandmother. She never forgets. So yes, there are lots of things to worry about these days. Plenty. But history sees it. And she’s writing it all down.

It's always as fascinating as it's hypocritical how leftists like these make the case for "free expression" and allegedly caring about history when they've done nothing to improve the situation much of the world sunk down to over the past decade alone. Let's recall Meltzer made clear a decade ago he was against Donald Trump. And if he was against Trump then, it's a foregone conclusion he hasn't changed. That aside, history may be writing things down, but leftists like Meltzer are selective, and in Identity Crisis, his idea of history was a left-leaning metaphor for 9-11. And one of the most grating things about his MO is that in some cases, he holds his cards close to his chest in interviews like these, but in the end, his approach to writing says it all.

Also note how he takes the cliched approach of citing dark-leaning stories as inspirations. It clearly played a part in his script for Identity Crisis, and that he may have later penned at least one Superman story in the 1000th issue didn't change that, mainly because, if memory serves, he resorted to forms of wokeness there too. It's very sad how Meltzer continues to be welcomed by the establishment and the MSM without question, and they continue to ask him unchallenging queries in their interviews, leaning entirely in his favor.

Another Image comic, written by leftists, is being adapted to TV

The Hollywood Reporter says Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky's Sex Criminals is being adapted to television, making it the next Image-sponsored comic I know of to have an adaptation of recent for live action:

The Amazon-owned streamer has picked up an eight-episode show based on the acclaimed Image Comics title Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky. Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon (The Big Sick) and Tze Chun (Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai) are co-creators of the series, and Nanjiani is also set for an acting role.

Sex Criminals centers on Suze, “a normal girl with an extraordinary ability: when she has sex, she stops time,” the show’s logline reads. “One night, she meets Jon, who has the same gift. And so they do what any other sex-having, time-stopping couple would do: They rob banks.”

[...] Sex Criminals was first published in 2013 to critical acclaim and earned two Eisner Award nominations. Fraction and his wife and fellow comic writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick, previously had an adaptation of the comic in development at Universal Television in the mid-2010s, but the project didn’t move forward.

Wow, these are some of the most overrated scribes of the past decade or so. And even if this is supposed to be comedy, why must we take pleasure in couples who commit robbery? Or why must we consider it funny? This sounds like another overrated production that spotlights crooks more than heroes too, and that's another problem with modern cinema and TV.

If this is all Image can promote, along with the studios adapting it, no wonder a focus on heroism is sorely lacking by contrast, along with stories that could give sex a more positive name. Sex Criminals certainly doesn't improve on what's gone wrong with modern entertainment.

Neil Gaiman continues his futile defenses

Variety reports the disgraced Neil Gaiman has written one more snoozer of a defense after at least a year since he previously tried to counter the sexual assault accusations made against him by at least 9 women:

“The Sandman” and “Good Omens” author Neil Gaiman released a lengthy statement Monday in which he once again denied sexual misconduct accusations that were originally made against him nearly two years ago.

This marks the first time Gaiman has spoken out about the accusations against him in almost a year, during which time Gaiman had stepped back from the public eye after being dropped from a series of TV and film projects based on his work, including Amazon’s upcoming final season of the “Good Omens” TV adaptation and the streamer’s new “Anansi Boys” TV series, press for last year’s final season of Netflix’s “The Sandman,” and development shutting down “The Graveyard Book” movie at Disney.

In his new statement, Gaiman says there was a “smear campaign” waged against him and that “actual evidence was dismissed or ignored” during this time.

[...] In a court declaration, Gaiman stated that he and Pavlovich had bathed together and engaged in consensual sexual activity, but that they did not have intercourse. He denied the lurid rape and abuse allegations raised in the lawsuit.

Surely that isn't a contradiction? Sexual activity is intercourse, so what's his pathetic point? Nothing new under the sun here. If he's not willing to attend Scarlett Pavlovich's lawsuit if it does go ahead, whether in New Zealand or the USA, he's not proving he's willing to prove his side in court. But he sure is desperate to find anybody willin to defend him. According to the Los Angeles Times:

Gaiman’s most recent statement comes just days after an unidentified Substack user who goes by TechnoPathology posted the latest in a series of articles over the last year defending the fantasy author.

Gaiman claimed he hasn’t been in contact with the anonymous user but would “like to thank them personally for actually looking at the evidence and reporting what they found, which is not what anyone else had done.”

He said “the actual evidence was dismissed or ignored” by most reporting, including “mountains” of “emails, text messages and video evidence that flatly contradict” the claims.

The author also announced in the statement that he’s been working on a book throughout the “strange, turbulent and occasionally nightmarish year and a half.” The project is his longest since the 450-plus-page “American Gods,” he said.

I wonder if the Substack writer is Gaiman himself? Reliance on an anonymous/pseudonymous source doesn't hold up well, because anybody could set up a site serving as apologia, and it doesn't automatically confirm innocence or guilt. And who does Gaiman expect will buy the new book he claims to have written in mass numbers? Perhaps he's hoping any addicts he still has left lacking a moral compass will buy a few copies, hoping even just a handful will provide "proof" virtually everybody's still finding a thrill with his books, comics and film/TV adaptations? And even then, what self-respecting publisher will make a printing agreement with him? That's something he certainly hasn't clearly addressed. It's worth considering that, when the awful Gerard Jones was working on a book writing deal, it was cancelled soon after his arrest on child porn charges. I remember that the title Jones' book was said to have had was "A Nation of Faith and Flesh: the Moral War that Shaped America", as if he couldn't have been hypocritical enough. I'm sure nothing of value was lost when his publishing arrangement was canned.

Anyway, I think Gaiman would do well to just stop blabbering and perhaps go into seclusion for many years now. His comics were worthless and overrated, and I'm sure his novels are too. And he's not doing any good by keeping on with his pitiful defenses. If Pavlovich's lawsuit goes to court officially, and Gaiman's other victims choose to testify, he'd best attend the proceedings and prove himself on public record. His continued refusal so far won't salvage his now tattered reputation.

Will Eisner's IP is now for sale, and it's a mistake doing so

The New York Times (archive link) says the creations of cartoonist Will Eisner are now being sold by his family/estate:

When Will Eisner’s “A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories” hit shelves in 1978, it attracted literary attention to comics and helped popularize the term “graphic novel.” Now it’s on sale, along with rights to the rest of Eisner’s intellectual property.

Up for grabs are Eisner’s graphic novels, children’s books and instruction manuals for creating comics. Also included in the sale are the many characters he created, most notably the Spirit, the influential masked crime fighter who debuted in 1940 and featured in stories that are noteworthy for their moral realism, mature themes, genre fluidity and inventive page design.

Eisner’s last work featuring the Spirit, a 72-page story from 1996 called “The Spirit Returns,” was never published. It, too, is up for sale.

Eisner died in 2005, followed by his wife, Ann Weingarten Eisner, in 2020. Since then, Carl Gropper, Ann’s nephew, and his wife, Nancy Gropper, have run the estate. Now in their 70s, they hope to find a buyer eager to keep Eisner’s work, especially the Spirit, in the public eye.

“We expect either a movie or an animated feature, we hope, in the future,” Mr. Gropper said.

The family is aware that the Spirit’s 2008 sojourn to the big screen did not fare well despite its comics world star power. “The Spirit,” written and directed by a fellow comics innovator, Frank Miller, had an estimated budget of $60 million but earned less than $40 million worldwide.

It's already old news for realists who keep track of the medium that Miller's an otherwise overrated writer/artist, so that he could botch the production as badly as he did is probably no surprise. And that's not the only failed adaptation of Eisner's work. In 1984, there was a film adaptation of Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, another of Eisner's early creations from 1938 that didn't fare well either, and I think there was a made-for-TV adaptation of the Spirit 3 years later that fared no better as television fare. Eisner's comics may make great pastimes, but they haven't amounted to good movies or TV programs, unfortunately.

Regardless of that, his family/estate owners are making a sad mistake to sell off his stuff, because in this woke age, who knows how badly it'd be desecrated if it ends up being sold to a conglomerate? On which note, DC published comics based on the Spirit nearly 2 decades ago, which were nowhere as good as what came before, and are tainted by having the disgraced Justiniano as an artist on several issues. What if whatever's still under Eisner's estate is sold to DC/WB in their current leftist form? So long as DC's output is corporately owned, it's clear it won't be good.

Surely most telling is that Eisner's relatives may be trying to sell off his IPs now for the sake of movie and cartoon adaptations. Well that's insulting to the intellect, and if it's all they care about, then it'd be better if his IPs became public domain, and of course there's publishers who could always ensure they'll continue to see publication. That said, it's not hard to guess there's quite a few leftists today who don't respect Eisner's work, not even the award ceremony named after him, considering what kind of stuff they choose for giving prizes too nowadays, and that's one more reason why it's a terrible shame such a fine artist not only had his work slighted, it's bound to continue getting worse if his relatives don't at the very least sell wisely.

Comics from India keep up with changing times, and publishers respect suitability for children

France24 wrote about India's comics, which draw from early local mythologies:

Nearly six decades later, the comic, known simply as ACK and meaning "immortal illustrated stories", is still holding its ground in an era ruled by smartphones and streaming television.

Founded by storyteller Anant Pai after he noticed children on a quiz show knew more about Greek gods than their own mythological heroes, ACK quickly became a cultural touchstone.

Its titles, from tales of Hindu deities to biographies of freedom fighters, sold in the millions and were translated into multiple regional languages. [...]

Production depends on the same painstaking research, writing and colouring, although some images of deities have evolved.

"We used to have a very slender Ram, a very slender Shiva, drawn lovingly by artists who drew by hand," said Puri, 68, who has been with ACK for 34 years.

"Today the artists... give them six-pack abs and muscles."

Not all fans love the makeover, but Puri said times change.

"Children today are not used to that old kind of art," Puri said. "We have to adapt to what the children want."

Storytelling has also shifted.

"If, earlier, we used to show the man sitting with a newspaper, and the woman sweeping the floor or cooking food, that's changed," she added.

"It could be the woman sitting and reading a book, and the man gets her a cup of tea."

That's okay, because even women need a rest and a good cup of tea or coffee. That doesn't mean it's wrong, however, to draw a woman doing household chores, but perhaps a balance of both men and women doing housework could be helpful. One other thing that's amazing about this history item is the following:

But one frontier is firmly off‑limits: artificial intelligence.

"Art is to be respected, a writer's work is to be respected", Puri said.

Comic designer Srinath Malolan, 24, who grew up reading ACK in his school library, said the human-made process ensures content remains safe for children.

"The internet can create whatever it wants... we have meticulously looked at what we are giving the kids," Malolan said.

Wow, that's showing a lot more responsibility than what's been seen in the west this past decade or more. Obviously, if you know where to look in the east, there's respect for family and parental values in retaining good taste. I'm sure even in the west, these comics could resonate, so let's hope the publishers make an effort to market them in the USA too, if they haven't done so yet.

New mural in Stockton dedicated to the Fantastic Four

CBS News in Sacramento reports there's a mural that's been painted on a building in Stockton that's dedicated to the Marvel team that boosted Marvel's profile in the Silver Age:

As you're walking down Miracle Mile in Stockton, you may hear the sounds of colorful graffiti when all the sudden, you come across a striking mural.

"Behind us is the iconic Fantastic Four mural that is currently being worked on," co-organizer Orlando Molina said.

The Fantastic Four, the classic team from Marvel, is coming to life at another classic spot: Al's Comic Shop.

"It is inspired by the old comic book with The Thing on the front that claims that Stockton is the hometown of the Fantastic Four," Molina explained. "It's a very rare comic. Al's Comics, which is right here in the building, they have the comic and they had Stan Lee visit here and kind of do the stamp of approval."

Al's Comic Shop owner Al Greco can be seen in a picture right next to Marvel creator Stan Lee in 1986. That's when Stockton was officially recognized as the hometown and birthplace of these four hometown heroes.

This was a moment Greco pushed for and succeeded.

"It was a big day for Stockton. When Stan Lee came, he went to the city and they gave him a key. Then he came here and kind of signed all day for kids," Greco continued. "He was a nice guy. He was friendly. He had Spider-Man with him, jumping around."

Now isn't that great. Painting a mural on a local building is certainly more worthwhile at this point than reading the modern comics output from Marvel, and it's too bad the publisher couldn't have closed down in the early-to-mid-2000s, because that could've minimized the damage Joe Quesada brought about when he became EIC. So congratulations on this new mural being painted in the city. But it's a shame that Marvel's modern output dampens the impact that could've been had if they'd stopped publishing comics years earlier. If they had, Lee's legacy could've worked far better for this.

A project to uplift Black indie creators

The Post and Courier/Free Times (Columbia, SC) reports on a project designed to give a boost to Black creators (archive link), and also involves a special contest:

A new Columbia publishing house is working to uplift small comic creators with its new anthology project.

Simple But Complex takes after its namesake. Created by local Steven Nesbitt, this small, Black-owned publishing initiative looks to provide indie creators a platform to publish works on, while also granting opportunities for writers and artists just starting out.

“It's this giant publishing initiative that I want to create to make comic books accessible to people,” Nesbitt said. “Whether it's just reading them, whether it's through having access to create them or having a streamlined way for you to be part of the community.”

The name itself comes from Nesbitt’s own personal motto, the main motivator behind his work.

“Everything I do, I want it to be simple for the person coming to me,” Nesbitt explained, “and then I'll just handle the complexities so that we don't have to worry about it.”

Nesbitt kickstarted the company in early 2024, publishing three of his own comics through Simple But Complex digitally and physically. They are the only published works listed on the company’s website, but Nesbitt hopes that will change thanks to his upcoming “Twisted History” anthology project.

The “Twisted History” anthology asks comic creators to “twist” a piece of history into something supernatural or mythically eerie and submit their piece to Simple But Complex for review. The winners’ works will be published in the subsequent anthology and receive a cash prize.

But the anthology is more than just a pushing off point for Nesbitt. He believes everyone has the potential for storytelling. For him, the anthology has the ability to help guide that potential into a fully realized idea.

From this, it sounds like the guy's developed a challenge of writing something surreal, and if you play the cards right, it's entirely possible to turn out something impressive in that sense. Which makes clear there are people out there who do believe in the potential surrealism can have. And he's right, everybody's got the potential for being a great storyteller if they put in some effort. So good luck to him with his new publishing outfit, and let's hope he finds some good contributors with creativity to offer.